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40 Free Open Courseware Classes on Occupational Therapy

Published by Jennifer on July 01, 2010

Occupational therapy, often abbreviated as “OT,” is a field that is defined by the people who help patients improve their ability to perform tasks in living and working environments. Occupational therapists work with patients who have permanent disabilities, elderly patients or with people who are temporarily disabled yet who need to become re-adjusted to work and home life. This work often requires a broad knowledge of the human condition across physical, emotional and mental capabilities as well as knowledge about the tools available to bring those workers back into a ‘normal’ social environment.

This list of 40 free open courseware classes focuses on those tools, from human development and barriers to that development to workplace conditions to classes on how the brain affects adaptation after injury.

Human Development and Barriers

Anatomy and Physiology: This four-week course covers all the basics involved with the various body systems, including respiratory, nervous and digestive systems [Western Governors University].

Health Assessment and Promotion: This course focuses on the complete health assessment, the nursing process, and its relationship to the prevention and early detection of disease in clients across the life span [UMass Boston].

Health Issues for Aging Populations: Introduces the study of aging, its implications for individuals, families, and society, and the background for health policy related to older persons [Johns Hopkins].

Human Growth and Development: One can follow various developmental “tracks” longitudinally from birth to death, following the development of motor, language or cognitive capacities and skills from the beginning of life to its end [Tufts].

Musculoskeletal Pathophysiology: Become familiar with the immunology and pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases that may predominantly affect joints but also affect multiple organ systems of the body in some diseases [Tufts].

Confronting the Burden of Injuries: This course is intended to guide students interested in working on injury control in areas with little to no tradition in injury prevention from a public health perspective [Johns Hopkins].

Behavioral and Brain

Brain Mechanisms for Hearing and Speech: An advanced course covering anatomical, physiological, behavioral, and computational studies of the central nervous system relevant to speech and hearing [MIT].

Marriage & Family Relationships: This is an introductory course on marriage and the family, intended to present a more balanced understanding than your own personal experience might give you [Utah State University].

Masculinity, Sexual Behavior & Health: Reading seminar focusing on male adolescent health and sexual issues and explores the meaning of masculinity and the impact of masculine beliefs on men’s health and health care use [Johns Hopkins].

Neural Basis of Movement: This undergraduate course is an introduction to the field of motor control and motor learning [MIT].

Psychosocial Aspects of Visual Impairment: Learn about the psychosocial aspects of vision loss. Coping techniques and issues of self-esteem are explored, along with principles of self-determination [UMass Boston].

Sensation And Perception: This course provides an introduction to important philosophical questions about the mind, specifically those that are intimately connected with contemporary psychology and neuroscience [MIT].

Social and Behavioral Foundations of Primary Health Care: This course aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to diagnose (understand) community, individual, and organizational behaviors and change processes in developing countries and in cross-cultural settings [Johns Hopkins].

Social Attitudes and Public Opinion: This course examines the nature of attitudes, beliefs, and values, and the influences which individuals’ attitudes have upon their behavior [UMass Boston].